Shooting Industry February 2014 - Page 28

PERSONAL DEFENSE MARKET In The Glare Of The Spotlight Massad Ayoob W hat do you do when a high-profile person attempts to make an anti-gun statement by purchasing a firearm at your store? What do you do when suddenly the eyes of international media are upon you? How do you respond? That’s the situation Douglas MacKinlay, owner of Diamondback Police Supply, faced in March 2013, when Mark Kelly, husband of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, purchased a modern sporting rifle. What normally would have been an everyday, business-as-usual transaction turned into a media frenzy. Kelly, a retired astronaut and Navy captain, had become — and continues to be — a high-profile spokesperson for increased gun restrictions. His purchase of the ARplatform rifle fixed the glare of the international media spotlight on MacKinlay and Diamondback Police Supply. I visited the Tucson gun shop, in business since 1998 and currently with 19 full- and part-time employees, to learn how MacKinlay dealt with this incident. Doug MacKinlay poses in his shop with a 5.56mm SIG rifle, similar to the one “There has been a lot of misinformation about what really happened,” he said, “especially in the local me- involved in the Kelly incident. dia.” Point Number One: No matter how well you present infor- He paid for the rifle in full and left,” MacKinlay said. mation, the media will often it get wrong, especially if they’re Up to that point, it was just a normal, busy day at Diamondrushing to grab headlines, or want to push an anti-gun agenda, back Police Supply. But that was about to change. or both. “There were a couple of Air Force PJs (Pararescue Jumpers) “Mr. Kelly originally wanted to buy a SIG 1911 .45,” MacKin- in the store who recognized him,” MacKinlay said. “Their cell lay explains. “He did not have enough identification and we ex- phones came out, they took pictures and the pictures were posted plained we couldn’t sell it to him. He returned two weeks later to the Internet and went viral.” with the proper ID, went through the appropriate paperwork and Kelly, who was appearing on national media news programs background check and bought the pistol. As he was leaving, he about the need for additional firearm restrictions, was questioned saw a SIG M400, a 5.56mm AR-15.” about the purchase. Even though Kelly had just passed a NICS background check, “When Mr. Kelly became aware of that [Internet posting], he he wasn’t allowed to take possession of the rifle. publicly announced that he was buying the gun to make a state“The City of Tucson has an ordinance requiring a 20-day hold ment about how easy it was to purchase an ‘assault rifle,’ and that on any gun that comes in secondhand; this was a used rifle that he intended all along to donate the gun to a local law enforcement we had purchased the day before. We explained that to Mr. Kelly. agency thereafter,” MacKinlay said. Facing An Explosive Response Diamondback Police Supply was quickly flooded with emails and phone calls, many from pro-gun people who were outraged that the shop would sell a gun to someone who had publicly taken an anti-gun stance. “Mr. Kelly was an Arizona resident, a decorated combat vet and had just passed the background check [to buy the 1911 .45]. After he announced he intended to turn the rifle over to the police all along, we were urged to deny the sale because that made him a ‘straw man.’ We had to explain that, no, it didn’t. Purchasing a gun as a gift for another person or entity is legal,” MacKinlay said. For “gift guns,” Diamondback’s long-time policy is the store issues a gift certificate in the name of the recipient, who must come into the store and personally fill out Form 4473 and undergo the background check before taking physical possession of the firearm. In the meantime, Kelly continued to address the purchase of the rifle, including posting on his Facebook, “Scary 28 FEBRUARY 2014 “I’ve determined that it’s in my company’s best interest to terminate this transaction.” to think of people buying guns like these without a background check at a gun show or the Internet.” “He had been making more hay out of it, statements that were negative to our citizens, to our industry and to our Second Amendment rights,” MacKinlay said. On March 19, 2013, MacKinlay sent a letter to Kelly, which included the full refund for the price of the rifle. “Based on your recent statements in the media that your intent in purchasing this rifle was not for your personal use, I’ve determined that it’s in my company’s best interest to terminate this transaction. Thank you for your consideration and understanding,” MacKinlay concluded his letter. Continued on page 30 Subscribe to SI DIGITAL www.shootingindustry.com